Friends of Korea Studies

The Sigur Center created the initiative called the Friends of Korea Studies as part of its stepped up outreach on Korea Studies. The initiative was launched in December 2007 with an exclusive reception and commentary for business, community, academia and government leaders. The discussion focused on "Challenges and Prospects for the KORUS FTA" and featured well-known experts on the Korean economy and trade relations, Yoon Shik Park, Professor at GWU's School of Business, and Jeffrey Schott, Fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics, moderated by GW's Professor Young-key Kim-Renaud, Chair of the East Asian Languages & Literatures Department.

With the Friends of Korea Studies effort, the Center hopes to raise additional resources to continue enhancing its reputation as one of the country's leading policy research forums on contemporary Korea, and expand existing programs and activities. High level symposia, policy dialogues, featured speakers from business, government and community groups, a broad range of scholarly and policy research activities including specialized lecture series, visiting fellows and student scholarships — we envision an even more active and wider spectrum of activities in the future.

GW-Korea Ties: Strong and Longstanding

The George Washington University has played an important role in the relations between Korea and the United States, beginning with early alumni from Korea. GWU alumnus Philip Jaisohn (So Chae-p'il), a celebrated Korean reformer and activist, was the first Korean to receive a medical degree in the United States. Syngman Rhee, the first President of the Republic of Korea, received his B.A. degree from GWU in 1907, a Distinguished Alumni Achievement Award in 1949, and an honorary degree (LL.D.) in 1954. This connection has continued — Roh Tae Woo, the 13th President of the Republic of Korea (1988-1993), received an honorary degree in 1989. Executives of the largest Korean companies, such as Hyundai, Dae Woo and Samsung either studied at GWU, earned degrees, or were recipients of honorary degrees. President Lee Myung-bak spent a year and a half as a visiting scholar at the George Washington University. The Elliott School has a strong exchange partnership with Ewha Women's University in Seoul, and the Sigur Center is committed to continuing that relationship.

Korea Studies at the Sigur Center

Our Korea-related work is drawn from a variety of disciplines including language, literature, history, political science, anthropology, international affairs and business.
GW Korea-related courses 2006-09

The Center is active on different fronts — from international conferences to lectures by distinguished scholars and policy makers, from facilitating student exchanges to setting up Korean language Tea Times. A partial list of our activities in 2008 and 2009 includes:

• "The U.S. Role in a New Vision for Peace in Northeast Asia: Economic Ties and the "Fourth Wave" on the Korean Peninsula"
  with Chung Dong-Young, Democratic Presdiential Candidate, South Korea (2007).
• "Embedding Memory in Culture: Japan's Hiroshima & Korea's Kwangju" with Mikyoung Kim, Assistant Professor, Hiroshima Peace Institute-Hiroshima City University.
• "The Life and World of Philip Jaisohn (So Chae-p'il)," a conference including lectures from Kirk Larsen, former Director of the Sigur Center and Christine Kim, Assistant Professor, Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University as well as others.
• "Nationalism & Internationalism in Korea & Northeast Asia," Part of the Korea Foundation's Global Speaker's Forum, featuring Kim Yongdeok, President, Northeast Asian History Foundation, Korea.
• The Sigur Center Grant for Korean Language Study in Korea, which provides funding for summer language study in Korea, was awarded to Harold Olsen and Courtney Rowland.

External Sponsorship

The Sigur Center hosts a number of Korean visiting scholars every year. First, the Center participates in the POSCO TJ Park Foundation NGO Fellowship Program, which brings members of South Korean non-governmental organizations to the United States for research and study as fellows. The $2 million program, coordinated by Stanford University, involves four other leading North American universities, and is made possible thanks to the generous support from the POSCO TJ Park Foundation, a non-profit organization established in 1971 by Tae Joon Park to contribute to Korean and Asian development in a spirit of social responsibility. The Sigur Center is proud to host two POSCO Fellows every year. In addition to the POSCO Fellows, the Sigur Center also hosts one Republic of Korea Army officer as a Visiting Scholar throughout the year.

The Sigur Center is also pleased to work with the Korea Foundation in promoting Korea Studies in a variety of ways. The Korea Foundation has generously provided support for a professorship in Korean History and has recently contributed to a professorship focusing on Korean politics. The Sigur Center and the Korea Foundation also regularly work together to organize conferences and events on relevant Korean Studies topics. In 2007, the Korea Foundation selected the Sigur Center as its Washington, DC partner for the new Global Speakers Forum, inaugurated in October.

We hope that the Friends of Korea Studies initiative will provide an additional opportunity to develop Korea Studies in new and exciting ways at the Sigur Center. We are reaching out to friends of the Sigur Center to help support our efforts. Your contribution may be today online. Be sure to select "Other" for the gift designation and type "Friends of Korea - Sigur Center for Asian Studies."

Thanks for your support!

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